As someone who’s been going to Maui’s Ka’anapali Beach for 50-something years, I was pretty happy to see Trip Advisor name it as the best beach in the U.S. in this year’s Travelers’ Choice Awards. It’s a fabulous, three-mile stretch of sand with great snorkeling, paddleboarding, boogie boarding and swimming. It’s also fronted by a long foot path lined with towering palm trees, and has some of the island’s best hotels and resorts, as well as the delightful, open-air Whalers Village Shopping Center. Among my fave hotels on Ka’anapali are the Ka’anapali Beach Hotel, the Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa Read more
Australia/New Zealand/PAC
With travel back in full swing, (41% of Canadians are planning to, or have already booked a flight for 2023 ), it’s safe to say that Canadians are eager to travel again, and long-haul destinations are back on their wish lists…including Australia. With so much to do down under, we’ve narrowed down the top five reasons to visit Australia in 2023 highlighting some of the key moments including: FIFA Women’s World Cup (our Canadian team will be present!) NEW Hot Springs experiences NEW Hotels Opening in 2023 Kimberley Wild Expeditions 4-wheel drive wild tour Discover Aboriginal Collection Experiences FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD Read more
Are Canadian airlines worse about losing luggage than American or Australian carriers? New data from Compare the Market reveals that one-in-four Australians and Americans, and almost one-in-three Canadians, report having had an airline misplace or lose their luggage. Using survey data from more than 3,000 adults across all three nations, Compare the Market also investigated whether they got their belongings back, how much they were compensated by the airline, if at all, and how travel insurance payouts compared. Asked if they had ever had their luggage lost while flying, 24.5% of Australians said yes, compared to 27.6% of Americans and Read more
I don’t always agree with magazines that publish top destination lists. Sometimes they seem rather contrived, as if they’re trying to show off. But the latest one from Conde Nast Traveler hits the mark pretty well. The magazine asked travel experts to name the top island getaway places in the world, and they listed a half-dozen of my personal faves. Vancouver Island was cited for whale watching and other activities. “There’s far more to Vancouver Island than Victoria. One of my favorite places on the island is Tofino, a small town on the far west coast about halfway up the island Read more
A new era has launched for Porter Airlines, and for Canadian travellers. Toronto-based Porter on Wednesday (Feb. 1) began flying jets for the first time as part of a massive expansion effort that threatens to shake up the industry. Porter on Wednesday flew its new Embraer E195-E2 jets from Toronto Pearson Airport to Montreal Trudeau and Ottawa International, its first ever jet flights. Until this week, Porter had flown exclusively out of the Toronto Island/City Centre Airport using De Havilland propeller planes. Service on the Toronto Pearson-Ottawa route has four daily, non-stop return flights. Porter is offering three daily, non-stop Read more